Just out of curiosity, what kind of strings are you using? You may wish to try a new gauge/brand of string, as I find they change the tonality far more than are ever given credit for. Personally, I like DRs. Rotosounds are also very nice, especially when worn in.

The pickups would change the sound, yes, but again, changing the strings is usually the simplest and most cost effective manner in changing your tone on a budget.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of strings are you using? You may wish to try a new gauge/brand of string, as I find they change the tonality far more than are ever given credit for. Personally, I like DRs. Rotosounds are also very nice, especially when worn in.

The pickups would change the sound, yes, but again, changing the strings is usually the simplest and most cost effective manner in changing your tone on a budget.

i bought an ibanez last year, and thought it was the greatest bass i had. I owned, and still own, a cirrus and a jazz. But the playability/comfort factor for the ibanez made it a favorite. But when i got it to actual band practice and gigs, it sounded so fake. There was no true tone there. I gave it up after about 6 months. and have truly found the tone in what i had.

Yeah, I find it interesting that there were 8 responses based on no information except for 'maple body' and 'ibanez'. Ibanez has a lot of models, which one do you have? It might just be the way you have the tone knob, or onboard eq setup. I actually didn't know Ibanez made maple-bodied basses...